Helen Fields has done it again. She’s written yet another spectacular book and now I’m left wanted even more from Callanach and Turner!! Does anyone know how long I have to wait??

Anyway… The book. This story was gripping from the first page. We learn within pages how gruesome and horrific this book is, and we don’t get the answers to many questions until the last couple of chapters. We still have some unanswered ones as well. As usual, the book is tense, gripping and very gruesome. There were definitely some moments I found myself cringing in horror but that’s why I love this series.

I’m still a huge fan of Callanach, even if we didn’t see as much of him this time as theast 3 books. We got more details from Turner but it still worked just as well. At a few points in the book, I thought things were going to turn out differently but twist after twist left me unsure of where we stood. It was nice to follow Turner in this book, we got to know her on a better level than we have before and I like her a lot more for it. She was more considerate than I thought she would be, but she still knew when to stand up for what she believed. Turner is definitely no push over.

I didn’t guess the killer. Once I knew what was happening towards the end, it was one the best shocking moments we could ask for in a book. We’re left with unanswered questions and I love that we may get more from this case in another book.

We’re still at a will they won’t they stage with Luc and Ava but I think that things are beginning to get a bit stale for them. I don’t think they’re ever going to be at that stage where either of them will say anything. I only mention it because of the end of the book. I don’t think it’s really important to the story but I like that there’s some normality to their lives for the troubles of love.

This book gets a big fat, bloody 5/5.

Helen Fields has done it again. With echoes of Silence of the Lambs, she has produced another gruesome killer in what the tabloids inevitably dub the ‘babydoll killer’.

I love Helen Fields’ books; she toes the delicate line between gruesome and fascinating very well and just when I think she may have overdone it, she pulls back and the full humanity of her central characters kicks in and gives us a well-rounded story where the victims are more than mere cyphers on a page.

In Perfect Silence, DCI Ava Turner has a lot of hefty political weight to deal with. Not only is a nasty serial killer at work, but there has also been a series of unprovoked and vicious assaults on the homeless in Edinburgh. Unsurprisingly, the powers that be are far keener on one set of crimes being solved than the other.

With enhanced scrutiny from the Police Authority, Ava is on a collision course with her PR savvy boss, Superintendent Overbeck, and though Ava has some useful knowledge to trade, she’s not the kind of unprincipled cop that does deals at the expense of the truth.

DI Luc Callanach is developing his relationship with Selina, who is certainly getting keen and this book does focus a little more on the interpersonal relationships of the characters in the book. Even D.S. Lively has some personal down time!

Turner is now overseeing the Major Investigations Team but this in turn adds to the slightly off centre relationship she has with Callanach, who now reports to her. Turner must find a way to be true to herself and her policing instincts while still toeing the line of a senior commander.

Helen Fields has written another cracker of a crime thriller with characters you can’t help be drawn to, a plot that is both dark and dramatic and tension that floods the narrative and keeps the reader on their toes. The pace is relentless and the denouement this time especially surprising.

Verdict: Another cracker of a crime thriller in this unputdownable series.

Another cracking book by Helen Fields! I was really looking forward to reading this and it didn’t disappoint. We’re back with DCI Turner and DI Callancah investigating the death of some young girls with a gruesome twist. The story doesn’t just concentrate on the case, there is insight into the officers lives which I really enjoy. Cant wait for the next one already

Now if you have read any of the books in this series then you know that in picking up a copy of Perfect Silence you are in for one heck of a ride. Dark, intense and littered with unapologetically brutal killers, these books are about as far from cozy crime as you are going to get. Not in a gratuitous way, but if you are looking for Miss Marple, you've come to the wrong part of town. I love them.

The book opens in rather dramatic fashion, focused upon a young woman who bears so many scars from a difficult childhood but for whom you know that things are not about to improve. It is hard to understand at first what you are reading, but clearly she is some kind of victim. Of what and just how dark this case is about to become you have yet to understand. And this is where our protagonists, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner come in. Faced with a sadistic killer with a rather macabre and unique calling card, the face a race against time to prevent more women from being murdered.

Now up until now, the series has been largely focused upon Luc and his investigations, but for this book, there is a far greater focus upon Ava Turner and the effects the case has upon her. For the fans, do not worry, there is plenty of Luc to go around, but Ava is most certainly the lead here and to that end, it really does fit the story. The case impacts Ava in a way which we haven't previously seen, her feathers always seemingly unruffled, even when she is in the firing line as a potential victim. And yet there is something about this case which breaks through the otherwise tough facade, and there is just something about the story, some indefinable element, which makes having the female lead work perfectly. Part of the investigation leads Ava to a face from her past, a perfect segueway which could only work with the focus upon her.

What I love about the series is the way in which Helen Fields captures the other side of life in Edinburgh. Far from the crowds of tourists navigating the Royal Mile and visiting the myriad of tourist shops, away from the shiny Government buildings or the imposing shadow of Arthur's Seat, she has brought out the darkness. A dirtier, grittier side of the city which feels authentic without being a caricature of city life, whilst inhabiting this world with characters you grow to like very quickly and who you want to see succeed. The bad guys are not simply evil, they are complex and often damaged people who you will find make your skin crawl, but then you have your thoroughly flawed, intrinsically human Detectives who you root for to come good. The perfect balance.

This story is complex, multi-faceted, the victimology unclear at first but soon becoming more apparent. There is an element to the crime which will shock or surprise the reader, least of which is actually the calling card which may put you off both rag dolls and potentially gingerbread men. There is no direct link to the latter I should add, but the symbolism and reasoning will be apparent when you read the book. The pacing is spot on, with moments of high tension, chapters which end at the crucial moment, seconds before we are taken to a place that we have no desire to travel to, and, crucially, the killer remains a mystery to us as readers for the longest time and yet we know long before Ava and Luc, the extent and true nature of what they are facing.

I'm trying to sound intelligent (failing I know) but really all I want to say is 'this book is bloody good. Just read it.' But be warned. You may need to be slightly strong of stomach, as even I felt my lips curling and my stomach turning on occasion and it takes a lot to make me cringe. And that wasn't even anything to do with the murders. There are things Ava see's which can't be unseen and things we read that can't be unread. I'll leave it at that ;)

Another blooming fabulous addition to the series, I can't wait to see where the author takes us next.

totally gripping 4th book in this series definitely one to read.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

DCI Ava Turner has been promoted and, in these new novel, she has to juggle two cases. Someone is kidnapping young women in Edinburgh and after a week they are found dead with parts of their skin missing. Someone is also attacking homeless people on the streets. While dealing with office politics, Ava is on a race against time to find the people responsible for these attacks before it is too late. Some of the descriptions may be too graphic and the Scottish winter is the perfect setting to this dark and disturbing novel. Although I found myself immersed in the novel, I wasn’t completely into it and I didn’t really connect with the characters and their stories. All in all, this is a haunting and chilling novel full of twists.

This is the 4th book in the DI Callanach series . The body of a young girl with the outline of a doll carved on her skin is found dumped on the side of the road . This book blew me away ! This is a deliciously intense and dark thriller that drew me in from the first page ! I highly recommend ! Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #AvonBooksUK #PerfectSilence

On a dark night on a lonely road to the West of Edinburgh, a young woman crawls along the road, clinging to life and the hope she’ll be saved by a passing stranger. A chilling scene to open a chilling book, one that made me squirm more than once as I read about a series of young women brutually murdered while two of my favourite detectives, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner, struggled to make sense of it all and find the killer.
At the same time, homeless people across the city are being attacked. Their faces are being cut by an unknown assailant, taking advantage of their isolation and addiction to Spice, a legal high that is pretty nasty. It’s a case that falls to Ava’s team too when links are drawn between the victims and makes for a lovely, complicated, plot.
I love this series, and have since picking up the first book, Perfect Remains, at my local library based purely on the cover (yes, I’m shallow, I know!). I just wish I could say more about the book but I can’t because to do so would mean to give away the twists and turns that make Fields’ books so good. You never quite no where you are going and where you are going to end up.
What I do know, is that – along the way – I’ll be treated to a gripping plot and well drawn characters that draw me into the book completely. And the characters just get better and more well rounded with each book. I love Luc and Ava’s relationship and could happily read about them for hours. If I got bored, there are plenty of other secondary characters to keep me interested, all just as real as the main characters, as well as the city of Edinburgh itself, which has thankfully never seemed quite as deadly when I’ve visited.
If you haven’t read this series, I can highly recommend it. If you have, hopefully you’ll enjoy this latest outing as much as I have.

A totally gripping read from start to finish, another book by this author cannot come soon enough. 10 out of 10

I love this series and it just gets better and better.
Luc and Ava are called to a crime scene where they discover the body of a young woman who has been badly mutilated.
They are shocked by the extent of the mutilation but even more so when something is left which has been made after her death.
Soon another young woman is abducted and they are desperate to find the killer.
Alongside this, homeless people are being attacked and Ava has her suspicions about who is involved but Police politics won’t let her pursue them.
Luc and Ava have a great working relationship and I’d love it if they got together but I’m not sure Overbeck would allow it... or would she, after Ava’s discovery in this book??!
This book had me hooked from the first few pages and I loved it.
Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Perfect Silence is a gripping psychological thriller. The plot is riddled with twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. This book is not for the faint of heart. I recommend to fans of thrillers. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for for my ARC. This is my unbiased review.

Most importantly, thank you Avon Books UK for allowing me to access the e-galley of Perfect Silence. DI Callanach is one of my favourite series and I could not wait to continue it. Now my pre-order can take it’s time travelling across the pond without me obsessively tracking it!
Perfect Silence is the fourth in the DI Callanach thriller series. It can be read as a stand-alone but you would be missing a lot of details and previous character development. They are best read as a series but do what you got to do to get started.
In Perfect Silence, DI Callanach and DCI Turner are faced with a very gruesome serial killer, one who cuts off the skin of the victim in the shape of a doll. When a doll made from the skin is found with an adandoned baby, the race is on to find the woman before she is left on the side of the road like garbage and another woman is taken.
This one breaks the pattern of the series a little. Usually this series alternates between the police and the killer. This one alternates between the police and the victims. It was a tough read in some parts because of the graphic nature of the serial killer’s signature dolls but it might be my favourite because of that. You become attached to the victims in a way you don’t when you read in the killer’s mindset.
Available August 23, 2018

Thanks to author/publisher for giving me a copy of the book.
Picked up this book thinking it was a thriller. The book has two concurrent plots, one with the mainline of young women getting killed and another with homeless people being harmed. I kept reading thinking there will be a cross over and everything will be linked which never happened. The details of the young women being tortured and killed was bit much for me.
The flow of the book, police procedures, people calling each other formally with last names is the part i thoroughly enjoyed!
I look forward to seeing the romance between Callanach and Turner take off in the next book.

I was hooked from page 1 of this book! Helen Fields does it again and kept me focused and determined to figure out the mystery along with the detectives.

The story begins with the perspective of a young adult female who is experiencing one of the most terrifying things in this word. It then goes to the perspective of the detectives and how they are in a race against time to find a killer in their town.

I just finished reading Perfect Silence by Helen Fields and was absolutely blown away. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time and I have already been checking out her previous books which I am going to devour! I have no problem giving this book 5 stars and will absolutely recommend it to others.

This is the fourth book in the series featuring DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach and team that supports them against a series of extremely vicious murders and murderers. I hardly recognise this Edinburgh!

The characters of Ava and Luc have developed over the series and we learn a little more about them, their relationship and the backgrounds of their team each time which adds tio the enjoyment of the books.

The fourth book is even more macabre than the others, with a vicious murderer punishing their unfortunate victims and making dolls from their skin. There are the usual twists and turns and a race against time, with the detectives working together to solve the crime and stop the murderer.

Everyone of this series has had 5 stars from me - will look forward to number five!

Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read this and review it.

I love this series of books, Luc and Anna are prefect foils for each other and it is set in my own country of Scotland. Edinburgh is portrayed by someone who either does, or has, lived there. This Edinburgh is far away from the tartan and shortbread ! its a real city with real city issues and a seedy side that is at polar opposites to the tourist image.

I love that Luc, uses his cultural differences to give a different take on matters that arise and yet being half French gives an echo to the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. Both he and Ana come at the crime from different angles to find the solution - it works well.

This will certainly keep you turning the pages well into the night. Its a bit gruesome in parts but what kind of murder (serial murder even) isn't ?

Firstly, I would like to thank Helen for the massive bags under my eyes today!

This book had me HOOKED from the very beginning. I would say that out of the four in the series, this is the most disturbing for me. And do you know what? I bloody loved it!

When the bible references began to be introduced I was a bit wary of where it was going as I don’t usually enjoy books with religious undertones but this may have changed my views.

I can’t write too much more without giving anything away but this book has made me so excited for the next in the series due to a couple of cliff hangers, and the fact that I enjoyed this one so much!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a copy for an honest review. And thank you to Helen for the previously mentioned eye bags as a direct result of not being able to put this down last night.

Thoroughly recommend.

I fear I may have fallen into like some crazed stalker fan scenario where Helen Fields is concerned ( not her per se, but her books I hasten to add!) so I'm trying to temper my ravings and urging of people to buy her books, but boy is it difficult, they're just so darned good!

In Perfect Silence, Fields introduces us to yet another horrifying murderer, the babydoll killer. He is of course disturbing, though I have to say not quite so gruesome as previous offerings, or perhaps that's just me acclimatising myself to a murder-reading spree, I guess it's all subjective. There were echoes of Jame Gumb in the dolls made of skin though which was pretty creepy. Anyway, the MIT are certainly kept on their toes trying to catch the killer before any more victims are discovered, and thus the pace of the novel is a steady canter rather than a leisurely stroll around the woods. Coupled with the killings is the investigation into the attacks on the homeless population of Edinburgh; which brings with it the difficulties and problems dealing with the political influences that overshadow the department and the city. This causes some fairly epic clashes between DCI Ava Turner and her superior Superintendent Overbeck, that put her career in a very precarious place.

And so on to what is the major strength of Helen Fields' novels: the characters. DCI Turner has settled into her role a little more in this book I felt, though I did still miss a little of the camaraderie of the early books. She still manages to be the feisty officer she has always been, and is certainly not afraid to speak her mind. DI Luc Callanach seems to be beginning to move on from the rape allegations, though the after-effects are still holding him back in his relationship with Selina (though she manages to find ways to try and help the situation!). Of course I'm not going to be happy until Luscious Luc and Ava get together, and Perfect Silence was sort of reminiscent of a great will-they, won't they love story in parts. I was trying to think of an example, but the only one that springs to mind is Billy and Ally in Ally McBeal which perhaps isn't the greatest example to be fair and probably says more about my referencing skills than anything else! I do so enjoy the relationship between Luc and Ava though, as well as the relationships between the rest of the team, even though DS Lively didn't seem at the top of his cheekiness scale here. The characters are as engaging as the plot throughout, and I don't think I will ever tire of them.

You don't need to have read the previous 3 novels to get the most out of Perfect Silence. You'd be mad not to want to read them though if this was your introduction to Callanch and Turner. As usual I totally recommend this Helen Fields' book, I'll issue the usual warning of clearing your diary to read it, because rather like Pringles, once you start you can't stop. Roll on Book #5!!

Perfect Silence is published by Avon Books on 23rd August 2018

Firstly many thanks to netgalley for an ARC of this brilliant addition to the DI Callanach Series! When DCI Ava Turner & DI Luc Callanach are called to a scene - nothing prepares them for the horrors that await them or the subsequent autopsy that reveals the true horror of the crime.

The 'Babydoll Killer' case takes us down so many different paths so we experience lots of different emotions when dealing with all the different characters; sympathy, loathing, fear, disgust, hope, understanding and so much more. This is a well written thriller with lots of interesting strands which I thoroughly enjoyed! I cannot wait for the next in the series!